Honoring King and Building Community

Volunteer events to pack the MLK weekend

1/10/2018, 11:23 a.m.

Volunteers pack food donations as part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend of Service organized by the United Way of the Columbia Willamette.

More than 1,500 volunteers will fan out this weekend across the greater Portland metro area in service to the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Working with local nonprofits and schools, the volunteers will help out more than 65 community-based projects as part of the MLK Weekend of Service, held Jan. 12 – 15 by the United Way of the Columbia-Willamette and organized by the nonprofit’s volunteer program, Hands On Greater Portland.

The event is presented by Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon and supported by adidas, Bank of America, The Boeing Company, Daimler Trucks North America, Intel, JP Morgan Chase and Umpqua Bank, with special thanks to U.S. Bank.

Volunteer projects will include restoring and refurbishing classrooms, gardens and play spaces at schools and community centers, sorting food and clothing, serving meals and doing home repairs. The majority of these projects support United Way’s agenda to invest in our region’s kids so they are free from poverty and free to reach their potential.

For a full list of volunteer activities throughout the weekend, you’re encouraged to visit unitedway-pdx.org/mlk.